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Yappi.com writer CANTON—It is no secret that Schreiber Elementary School teacher Mike Lehotay is a fan of the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, and the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he graduated from in 1989 with a degree in education. Heck, you might add in that he may also be a fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers and their superstar guard LeBron James. But he is a deeply devoted fan of a high school that has a revered tradition: The Canton McKinley Bulldogs. And like anyone who attended McKinley Senior High School, he lived for the rivalry. “As a fan, it is the greatest rivalry in high school sports. It surpasses Ohio State and Michigan. It is so local and intense with their teams,” Lehotay said in reference to the Bulldogs and the Massillon Tigers, who will host Saturday’s game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. And like Bulldog alums, he hates losing to the Tigers. “I remember two years of Chris Spielman (former Massillon linebacker) handing our lunch to us before we went over to Massillon and came out with a big win,” he said. “In addition to that, I was part of a delegation of a group of McKinley kids who went to spend a day at Massillon and it was fun being in the enemy’s territory.” Married to wife Thea, who was a Canton McKinley cheerleader, the Lehotays are proud parents of two children, 11-year-old Ben and nine-year-old Andra. This game also has some interesting subplots from Lehotay’s standpoint. As a teacher at Clarendon Elementary School, he had three players in his fourth and fifth grade class. One of those was hard-working defensive tackle Trent Bush along with two other players on the team. Lehotay was pleased to know that all three of his former pupils were thriving not just on the field, but also in the classroom as well. “They all were good students and polite young men,” Lehotay said in reference to Bush and the other two players on the team. “I hope they keep those traits and they carry over to positive things in life.” Lehotay knows that this will be the most dangerous game for the 9-0 Bulldogs. He knows that it would make Massillon’s day for them to be the only team to defeat the red and black in the regular season. Massillon plays fast, hard, and physical. And Lehotay offered this advice to players who will be playing in Saturday afternoon’s war in the confines of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. “The players have to maintain their focus, listen to their coaches and whatever you do, do not overlook the Tigers as you can’t take them lightly,” he said. It’s no secret that Mike Lehotay is an all-around Northeast Ohio sports fan. But his greatest team of all is the Canton McKinley Bulldogs. Part 2 Tuesday: Inside The Halls Of Massillon High School. |
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